For 243 couples, Sagay City’s Christmas gift came in the form of a marriage certificate, as the city held its biggest “kasalang bayan” yet at the Sagay City Gymnasium Dec. 22.
The mass wedding, organized by the Sagay local government, is the largest civil marriage ceremony conducted so far in the city, uniting couples from different barangays in a single public event.
Mayor Leo Rafael Cueva said the initiative reflects the city’s commitment to strengthening families and reminded couples to remain faithful to each other despite life’s challenges.
Cueva commended the City Civil Registrar’s Office and partner-agencies for making the historic mass wedding possible.
The mayor also said that the participating couples can avail of free legitimization of their children, the city said in a press release.
OIC regional director John Campomanes of the Philippine Statistics Authority–Negros Island Region lauded Sagay for hosting the biggest mass wedding in the city and in Negros Island Region for 2025, and reiterated the importance of civil registration in establishing legal identity and family rights.
Edwin Guiguing, registry officer of PSA-Negros Occidental, said the activity marked the largest civil wedding ever conducted by the city and emphasized that the office continues to provide free registration services, including the registration of children, as part of its mandate.
Councilor Exequiel Marañon, speaking on behalf of 2nd District Rep. Alfredo Marañon III, congratulated the couples and reminded them that marriage is not about aesthetics but about two individuals becoming one legal family.
Marañon stressed that love and commitment are essential to a successful marriage, noting that no partnership is perfect and couples must choose to grow together through difficulties.
Vice Mayor Narciso Javelosa Jr. also extended his congratulations and wished the couples a happy and long-lasting married life.
Also present during the event was City Civil Registrar Engr. Vivencio Flores, who presented the couples during the mass wedding.
Senior pastor Israel Bais of the Sagay Evangelical Church offered prayers and blessings for the newly-married couples during the ceremony. | Sagay PIO photos
